«When the calabash breaks» is a phrase often used in African cultures to signify a significant disruption or loss, usually related to a breakdown in tradition, community, or a key aspect of life. A calabash is a treasured gourd used for storing water and food, and its breakage represents a major loss or disruption to the household or community; it can also symbolize a loss of life or a significant change in someone's life depending on the context. 

Quote translated from the french article by Irene Panzani in Mouvement magazine (18 July 2025).

The project emerges from the encounter and shared research between dancer and choreographer Tiran Willemse and musician and composer Melika Ngombe Kolongo (Nkisi). When the calabash breaks is rooted in spiritual cosmologies and Afro-diasporic rituals, using improvisation as a transformative and political practice. The sound is intense and layered and acts as a living force capable of affecting time and space, while the movement encompasses energetic dimensions, ancestral memory and collective dynamics. Together they create an experimental ritual performance into an explosive weave of music and dance – crafted for historical and present architecture.

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